by Chloe Mayson
“She didn’t. I guess you didn’t hear the news,” Cortney said.
“What news? I haven’t been in town for a couple of weeks,” Gator replied.
“Aunt Morticia was murdered.”
The thin faced man’s reptilian eyes narrowed.
“Murdered?”
“Poisoned,” Cortney replied.
“Who poisoned her?”
Cortney shrugged. “That, Gator, is the $64,000 question.”
“Chief Thorton hasn’t arrested a suspect?” Gator asked.
“Nope,” Cortney said.
“Any suspects?”
“Yeah, the five council members who were having lunch at Barnaby House.”
“The creepy five,” Gator said.
“Why do you call them creepy?”
“Ah, Frank hasn’t told you about the council?” Gator said.
“Frank hasn’t explained squat to me. Said something this morning about telling me everything tonight,” Cortney explained. “Ah, how do you know Frank?”
“I grew up in Barnaby House. Morticia was like a mother to me. You might say I’m sort of like your cousin,” Gator said.
“So, you know Frank and Mildred?” Cortney asked.
“And the former butler that’s confined to his bedroom,” Gator said lowering his voice. “Ah… Was that Tom Cat I saw in the booth?” he asked.
“Tom Cat number two. The other Tom Cat ate the poisoned caper sauce too,” Cortney added.
“So, he’s your Tom Cat,” Gator said and winked.
“I thought he was roadkill when I found him as I drove to Bayou George. However, he turned out to be alive and connected to me,” Cortney said.
“Yeah, I know what you mean. We should talk in private soon. I have lots of questions,” Gator said.
“Yes, we should, as I also have questions. But for now, what do you want to order for breakfast? Cortney asked.
“A rare steak and eggs sunny side up,” Gator said.
“That went really well,” Pop said as Cortney hung up the ticket in the window.
“Yeah, seems that we are practically cousins. He grew up at Barnaby House,” Cortney said.
“Wow, I didn’t see that coming. But I would hate to think I was related to Gator in any fashion,” Pop said. “He’s a real freak.”
“Aren’t we all, Pop,” Cortney said as she poured Gator a cup of coffee. She paused by the booth where Tom Cat had curled up in one of the seats. “Do you know Gator?”
“Meow,” Tom Cat said and hissed.
“So, you and he aren’t besties?”
“Meow, meow,” Tom Cat answered as Cortney walked away.
“I think Tom Cat number two doesn’t like you, Gator,” Cortney said.
“That’s because he is Tom Cat number three. I ate Tom Cat number one when I was a kid and couldn’t control certain urges,” Gator said.
“You darn well better not eat this Tom Cat, or I’ll make some luggage out of your hide,” Cortney said as she placed the cup of coffee on the table.
“I believe you would do it,” Gator said.
“When I found Tom Cat, he said he had eight more lives to go, but I learned from him this morning that he only has seven more lives to go,” Cortney said.
“I think he’s trying to forget about me eating him. It traumatized him,” Gator said.
“Yeah, it would traumatize anyone to be eaten. Usually, I would be intimidated by you, Gator. However, today is my birthday, and for some strange reason, I feel different. If I had met you yesterday, I would have been horrified of you. Gee, I would probably have screamed and fainted. Not that I’m saying that you’re freaky looking or anything. Ah, I think I hear Pop calling me. I’ll chat later,” Cortney said as she backpedaled. Open mouth and insert foot! she thought as she beat a hasty retreat.
“What? You aren’t best friends with Gator anymore? Wow, that friendship didn’t last long,” Pop said when he saw the expression on Cortney’s face.
“I didn’t mean to, but I called him a freak,” Cortney said.
“Hmm, you are lucky you aren’t gator bait about now,” Pop said as he placed a hamburger and an order of fries on the shelf of the window. “The order goes to the owner of Charley Brown’s Clothing Store in the booth beside the door,” Pop paused. “He’s one of the city council members,” Pop added.
“Really? Thanks for telling me, Pop,” Cortney said as she took the plate and hurried over to the booth.
“Here’s your burger and fries with a strawberry milkshake, Sir,” Cortney said placing the plate and glass on the table where a middle-aged chubby man with slicked-back, jet-black hair sat.
“Thanks, Sweetie. You must be new here. I haven’t seen you here before,” the man said. “But you look familiar,” he added with a puzzled look.
“Are you Charley Brown?” Cortney said.
The man chuckled. “No, that’s just the name of the store. I named it after a character I read about. I’m the owner. My name is Dick Innman. What’s yours?”
“Cortney Barnaby.”
The man choked on his milkshake.
“Are you Miss Morticia’s niece?” the man asked as he finished coughing.
“Yes, that’s me — little rich girl. Well, I’m not rich at the moment, but I will be in a year when I inherit my aunt’s estate,” Cortney said.
“Yes, her death came as a shock,” the man said.
“You mean her murder came as a shock, don’t you, Mr. Innman?” Cortney corrected the man.
“Yes, unfortunately, her death wasn’t a natural event,” Mr. Innman replied.
“You were at the table when my aunt was poisoned, weren’t you?” Cortney asked.
The man pushed his fries around with his fork. “Yes, I was at the table and watched Morticia die. It was horrible. I can’t get the image out of my mind.
“Did you poison Aunt Morticia?” Cortney suddenly demanded.
“What? Of course not! How dare you ask me such a question!”
“Someone at the table poisoned her caper sauce.” Cortney said softening her tone slightly.
“Well, it wasn’t me. I’ll admit that I didn’t always see eye to eye with Miss Morticia, but I would never kill her,” Councilman Innman said as his eyes hardened.
“So, you and my aunt had some disagreements?”
“Just trivial things. Nothing of substance,” Councilman Innman said as he reached up and loosened his blue tie.
“Tell me what your disagreements were and let me be the judge,” Cortney said.
“Some of us wanted to build a four-lane highway through the swamp and connect it to Interstate 10. Morticia was opposed to the project and persuaded most of the members to vote the project down. She wanted the town of Bayou George to remain a sleepy little hammock. I wanted to bring it into the twenty-first century. The highway project was just one of the things this town needs. We need to find some way to get cell phone service. Morticia opposed anything that would open the town up to a large influx of strangers,” Councilman Innman said as he pushed his plate away. “You, Sweetie, have spoiled my appetite!” he added.
The man tossed a five-dollar bill on the table.
“Keep the change, Sweetie,” he added as he slid out of the booth.
Cortney glanced down at the money. “Thanks, big tipper, for the nickel tip,” she called after him.
Hmm, I think I’ll place his name at the top of my list of suspects, Cortney thought as she carried the plate and half-full glass of strawberry milkshake back to the kitchen window.
“Hmm, I can see you know how to charm customers, boss,” Pop said. “I doubt if we’ll see Councilman Innman in here again,” he added.
“He might have been the person that poisoned my aunt. I’m not finished with him,” Cortney said.
“I think Gator needs a refill,” Pop said nodding his head toward the end of the diner.
Tom Cat licked his paw as Cortney walked by.
“You keep licking your paws, and they’re g
oing to be sore,” Cortney said as she proceeded to Gator’s booth.
“More coffee?”
“Yeah, but what I want is to talk to you. I overheard your conversation with Councilman Innman.”
“Wow, you have good hearing,” Cortney said. I bet he heard every word of my conversation with Pop too. I better be careful what I say from now on when he’s in the diner, she thought.
“If you think Councilman Innman poisoned Miss Morticia I could slip into his house tonight and rough him up until he confesses,” Gator said.
Cortney took a quick breath. “Ah, wow, that’s a very kind offer, but I’m not sure if he poisoned Aunt Morticia. He’s just a suspect, along with the other four councilmen.”
“Or, I could work all of them over and see which one is guilty,” Gator said and took a sip of his coffee.
“Let’s wait for now. I only want the one that poisoned my aunt to pay the price,” Cortney replied as she forced herself to smile.
Man oh man is he a psychopath. I must remember to ask Frank about Gator, Cortney thought as she walked back to the counter.
“Pop, what do you know about Councilman Innman?” Cortney asked as she leaned her head through the service window.
“Not much. He’s been a councilman since I was a boy. Heck, come to think of it, all of them have been councilmen all my life.”
“Hmm, he doesn’t look that old does he?”
“Sorry, what were we talking about?” Pop said with a confused look.
“Councilman Innman,” Cortney replied.
“Yeah, sure. What do you want to know about Councilman Innman?” Pop said as he stirred the hot dog chili sauce.
“You said he had been a councilman all your life,” Cortney said.
“I don’t remember saying that. Of course, he hasn’t been a councilman that long,” Pop said as he put the lid on the chili sauce.
“But I’m sure I heard you correctly,” Cortney said.
“I’ve got a sudden headache. Let’s not discuss Councilman Innman. It makes my head throb,” Pop said as he placed an apple pie in the window. “Here, put this in the display case at the end of the counter,” he added.
Yeah, he must have been mistaken about how long Councilman Innman has served on the city council, Cortney thought as she carried the pie and placed it into the display.
Cortney’s feet ached by closing time. All she wanted to do was get home and take a hot shower. Home? Wow, I’m already thinking of Barnaby House as home. But Frank and Mildred are definitely not my parents!
Chapter Nine
“Honey, I’m home,” Cortney said as she entered the house.
“Meow?” Tom Cat said.
“It’s an old American tradition to say those words when you come home from work. Didn’t you watch any television?” Cortney said as she walked through the grand foyer.
“Meow, meow.”
“That’s a shame,” Cortney replied. “You learn a lot from television. Before the internet, it was what educated children,” she added.
“Miss Cortney. Was I mistaken, or did you call me honey when you entered the house?” Frank asked as he appeared out of nowhere.
“It was a figure of speech, Frank. Even with beer goggles, I would never in a hundred years call you honey,” Cortney replied.
“So how did your first day at work go?” Frank asked as he glanced at Cortney with his blue eye and at Tom Cat with his brown eye.
“Peachy. Here I am a millionaire, and I’m stuck serving burgers and fries at a greasy spoon,” Cortney said. “Now what I want to do is go upstairs and take a shower to get the grease out of my hair.”
“Please come back down as soon as you freshen up, Miss Cortney. We are having a special dinner tonight,” Frank said as Cortney headed for the stairs.
“Oh, I can hardly wait for some more of Mildred’s roadkill stew,” Cortney said. “What did she hit today? A rabbit?”
“Please don’t let Mildred hear you say such things. She takes her culinary skills seriously,” Frank called out as Cortney climbed the stairs with Tom Cat hot on her heels.
“Tom Cat should we stop and say hello to Chester?” Cortney added as she stopped in front of the ghost’s bedroom door.
“Meow, meow.”
“Gee, don’t tell me you are afraid of ghost. You are really a demon, right?”
“Meow, meow, meow.”
“Whatever,” Cortney said as she opened the door. “Wakey, wakey, Chester,” Cortney called out as she stepped into the bedroom.
“I definitely remember telling you that a ghost can’t sleep,” Chester said as he appeared in the middle of the room.
“You know, I was so shocked by you being a ghost that I didn’t realize that you are dressed in Victorian-era clothes. Wow, it must be awful having the wear the same clothes for a hundred years,” Cortney said.
“Miss Cortney if you stopped by to make me feel more depressed, then you have succeeded,” Chester said. He glanced down at Tom Cat. “Something is wrong with your familiar. He looks different.”
“He’s Tom Cat number two or number three. Gator ate number one. And Aunt Morticia’s Tom Cat ate the same poison as my aunt,” Cortney said.
“Did you know that your familiar is a demon in the form of a cat?”
“Yes, I’ve read a few witch novels. I just never thought they were based on fact,” Cortney replied.
“Loosely, only loosely. You know the saying, don’t believe everything you read,” Chester said.
“Chester, what can you tell me about Gator?”
“Oh, my, you’ve met Gator?” Chester asked.
“Yes. I was surprised when Gator told me that he grew up in Barnaby House,” Cortney said. “Did Aunt Morticia adopt him?”
“No, no, he came into existence by accident. Miss Morticia was trying to create a doppelganger of me when I got sick, but unbeknownst to your aunt the water she used in the cauldron contained a tadpole. Therefore, she brewed up Gator instead of a duplicate. It was tragic. I felt as though Gator was my son.”
“What was tragic about Gator?” Cortney asked.
“He’s a sociopathic killer. A serial killer who stalked Bayou George and murdered some townspeople before Miss Morticia discovered the killer was none other than Gator. She cast a spell on him that prevents him from killing humans, and she banned him from Bayou George. He lives in the swamp and can only visit Bayou George for two hours before he gets a terrible headache and is compelled to flee back to the swamp,” Chester explained.
“He asked me if I wanted him to rough up Councilmen Innman and make him confess to poisoning Aunt Morticia. Actually, he offered to beat up all five of the councilmen who were at the table when Aunt Morticia died,” Cortney said.
Chester bent double laughing.
“What so funny?”
“Your ignorance,” Chester said. "The councilmen are all warlocks. It’s not a city council as the citizens of Bayou George believe. It a magic council that rules over Bayou George.” Chester added.
“Warlocks?” Cortney exclaimed as she glanced down at Tom Cat.
“Did you know that the councilmen were warlocks?” she demanded.
“Meow.”
“And when were you going to tell me?” Cortney asked.
“Meow, meow, meow, meow!”
“It isn’t his job to explains things to you, Miss Cortney. I’m sure tonight Frank will tell you everything after supper. I hear it is going to be a special meal.”
“How am I supposed to find Aunt Morticia’s killer if Frank keeps such important facts from me?” Cortney said shaking her head. “Now, I see why you didn’t want me to stop by and chat with Chester,” Cortney added as she gave Tom Cat a hard look.
“Meow.”
“Yeah, you better cowboy up!” Cortney said as she turned to leave.
“Thanks for stopping by to chat, even if you did depress me,” Chester said as Cortney closed the door.
I think a lot is going on in Barnaby House that I do
n’t know about, Cortney thought as she unlocked the door to her room. I almost forgot that today is my twenty-first birthday. I wonder if the special dinner includes a birthday cake? I haven’t had a cake in years, Cortney thought as she opened the closet.
“Hi, Hildegard,” Cortney spoke to the broomstick even though she doubted the broom could understand what she said. “That was a wonderful ride you gave me last night. Later tonight I want to go for another one,” she added as she selected black slacks and a black blouse from her aunt’s clothes.
As Cortney soaked in the tub, her thoughts turned to what Chester had revealed about all the councilmen being warlocks. The more she learned about Bayou George, the less it appeared to be an ordinary town. She had to accept the fact that it was an enclave of magic founded by Aunt Morticia and maybe her mother.
The thought didn’t disturb Cortney as much as it would have yesterday. Since her ride on Hildegard, something had changed. As she lay in the tub surrounded by soap suds, she realized that she wasn’t a virgin witch anymore. The ride on the broomstick had been a christening into her real identity as a witch. Maybe it was the late-night ride on the broomstick that made her feel more empowered today.
“Meow!” Tom Cat called out.
“Yes, I know it’s time for dinner,” Cortney answered. “Don’t rush me. I’m the one who was on my feet all day while you took cat naps in the booth.”
A few minutes later, Cortney turned to Tom Cat. “Okay, do I look like a witch in these black clothes?”
“Meow, meow, meow.”
“Whatever! I should know better than to ask your opinion. I bet you said I was missing a black pointed hat.”
And why don’t you just pop into the dining room instead of walking? If I could pop around like you, I wouldn’t do much walking,” Cortney said and giggled. “God, you really confused Chief Thorton when you popped out of his office. I bet he’s still searching for you!” she said as she walked down the stairs. “I hope Frank isn’t throwing a surprise birthday party for me, with a room full of people I don’t know,” Cortney said as she opened the door to the dining room.
To Cortney’s surprise, only Frank and Mildred stood just inside the door waiting for her.
“Follow me,” Frank said and turned and walked to the wall on the left side of the table.